Parenting Moments - 5 to 6 years

At
this age, your child will have increased regular contact with the larger world
and friendships become more important to him. Physical, social and cognitive
skills develop rapidly at this period and it is a significant time for him to
develop confidence in all of these areas of his life.

Your
child is likely to be able to fluently express himself verbally and his spoken
sentences are longer and more complex. He may also enjoy telling stories and
jokes to make people laugh. At this age, he is beginning to get enough of a
view of the world and is able to understand that differences can exist side by
side and that different families value different things.

Your
child’s explorations are increasingly inquiry-driven. He likes to figure out
how things work and why things are the way they are. He investigates, makes
guesses in addition to just trying out things, and tests his explorations
against his guesses. At this age, your child begins to “see” the logic and
patterns behind the surface of things. He is fascinated with quantities,
measurements, and magnitudes.

By
now, your child will demonstrate improved motor skills, agility, and balance. This
allows him to stand on tip-toe or on one foot for a few seconds, do two footed
jumps, walk backwards, and kick a stationary ball and so on. His self-help
skills and eye-hand coordination are also improving. He enjoys a wide range of
dramatic plays and discussions with his playmates, possible scenarios and who
is to do what.

Your
5 to 6 year olds is also becoming more independent and in control of his behaviour.
He can now be reasoned with as he is beginning to understand what it means to
be fair and to follow rules in a game. He can even create his own rules for
games. He will
become more aware of emotions, both his own as well as those of others. He may
even begin to understand more sophisticated concepts, such as how to be careful
about not hurting someone’s feelings with his actions or words.

Find out more on what are the five child development domains and what you can do to help your child develop holistically.